Page 40 of Never Flirt with a Dragon

“Figures.” Vi sighed. “Can he cook, at least?”

“He makes pancakes.”

She gave me a dead-panned look. “Please tell me that’s not the only thing he can make.”

“If he can make anything else, I don’t know about it. We’ve had pancakes twice already, and he’s making them again, so I’m thinking the answer’s no.”

She groaned. “Text me his phone number. I’ll send him a few easy recipes. Heaven knows you should never be allowed into a kitchen. You’ll forget to start a timer and burn Mate Mountain to the ground.”

I laughed, and sent her his number.

The conversation shifted back to the mate bond, and whether I was going to keep up with my work. Vi had always been the realistic, get-stuff-done twin, so it was good to run through the important things with her. That would help me make sure I wasn’t forgetting something.

Before we hung up, she promised to text me a list of things to get on top of before I got lost to the sexiness of the bond. I thanked her, and we finally said goodbye.

As soon as the call ended, Jasper was striding into the room with another plate of pancakes. They smelled different, so I inhaled.

“They’re pumpkin,” he said, setting the plate down on my lap.

“Thanks.” I bit my lip.

A moment of tense, awkward silence stretched between us.

He finally started to leave the bedroom, and I blurted, “I gave Viola your number. I hope you don’t mind. It’ll make her feel better to be able to contact you. She’s worried about me.”

“That’s fine.” His voice was neutral.

I was still worried.

“She might send you recipes. Don’t be offended. She usually cooks for both of us, and she thinks I’ll burn the place down if I try to do it.”

“Will you burn it down?” He looked over his shoulder at me, his gaze almost curious.

“Probably not.”

He didn’t look convinced.

I didn’t feel convinced.

“I’ve only burnt a few things before,” I finally said, in my defense. “I get distracted and forget to start timers sometimes. I’ve never started a fire or anything.”

Though I had burned bacon so badly once that the entire building had filled with smoke. The fire department had been called.

That had been embarrassing.

Jasper’s lips curved upward in that hint of a smile he’d given me before.

Mine did too.

I showered while Jasper cleaned August and Elodie’s scent off my work things. After I was dressed in another one of his t-shirts, he led me down the hallway until we found a community laundry room. It was empty, like everywhere else we’d gone in the mountain thus far.

Except that one hallway when we first arrived.

“Did you warn everyone to stay away from us or something?” I asked him, as he closed the laundry room’s door behind us. My phone was in my hand, and I had a t-shirt on, but I was otherwise unoccupied.

“No. August probably did, though. Or Josh, after I almost killed him last night. I’m sure word has spread that we’re in heat, and that I’m not in control of my instincts. Everyone will give us space until it’s over.”

That was probably a good thing, though it was weird that the mountain seemed so empty.

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